State Solid Waste Management Plan

Beyond Waste: A Sustainable Materials Management Strategy

New York State's Beyond Waste Plan sets forth a new path for solid waste management. The plan shifts from a perspective of focusing on "end-of-the-pipe" waste management techniques to looking "upstream" and more comprehensively at how materials that would otherwise become waste can be more sustainably managed through the state's economy. This shift is central to the state's ability to adapt to an age of growing pressure to reduce demand for energy, reduce dependence on disposal, minimize emission of greenhouse gases and create green jobs.